Fourth in Line
by her-majesty-wears-jeans
Summary: A ficlet collection. The stages of Elizabeth announcing her presidential run, as told by snippets of her loved ones. Pre and post s4, canon divergence.
1. Chapter 1

Hey! The idea for this ficlet collection sparked from a conversation about all the character interactions we haven't really seen. So here you go, looks into various people's lives about Elizabeth's potential presidential run. Pre and post s4, totally non-canon as I've taken some artistic liberties (will feature Nadine, will have mentions of Stareth, not sure about Kat yet). I'm not entirely caught up so everything will be pure speculation and won't lean on actual episodes.

* * *

 _ **I**_

 _ **Stevie comes to a surprising realization**_

 _S3_

* * *

Her mother wasn't a career politician.

Stevie had had to put up with every paper from tabloids to broadsheets screaming so in the months following her mom's nomination as Secretary of State. Russell Jackson had screamed so on the phone or in person in their living room several times after Elizabeth had taken office. She never seemed to mind too much. For the first years, Stevie took a leaf out of her mom's book and brushed it all, the accusations, allegations, and demands, off with a well-rehearsed chuckle.

It was some time after she had gotten her own taste of politics as Russell Jackson's intern that she started to really listen to what people were saying about her mom. Although Stevie spent her days mainly shadowing political heavy-hitters, feeling rather insignificant and practically invisible in comparison, there were perks to going unnoticed by the people she passed on the halls on a daily basis. She was stunned by what she heard and learned to read from her colleagues and bosses. It seemed her mother was a hot topic of conversation just about everywhere. Some of the talk made her seethe while some brought a smile to her face, but all of it gave her a whole new perspective on the person who had been a constant all her life.

To Stevie, her mother had naturally always been a superhero, but the polling numbers – that mattered very little to her mom yet someone else (Russell Jackson) was always reminding her about – quickly suggested that a good part of the nation saw her as nothing short of a miracle worker. It felt weird when her peers first started to think of her mom as such, though Stevie could see where they were coming from. Even after Elizabeth got home from work irritated or exhausted, she carried a lingering air of importance. Stevie had always wondered what her mom was like before she shrugged off the blazer and dove into the ice cream carton. Getting to observe her mom in her work environment allowed Stevie to finally see her the way others did.

She was impressive; there was no other word for it. She held herself tall, carried herself gracefully, and expressed herself heartily. People listened to her.

And then one night, something just clicked in Stevie's mind. The evening had been nothing out of the ordinary: her mom had come home grumbling about the unnecessary legwork required to bypass a certain senator who seemed to have had nothing better to do than to try to undermine everything her department had finalized. Stevie had listened to the rant as she'd prepared a plate for her mom, barely catching herself in time before voicing the quip she'd intended to lighten the mood with. It had been a mere passing thought but enough to give her pause. _You could always just fire the guy after you become president, you know._

Stevie realized she had had that feeling for a while already, despite the fact that her mother had denied even the most veiled of implications and stated countless times she wasn't into politics. She knew that no one could make her mom do anything she didn't want to, nor could they _make_ her want it – but her mom was also quite adept at recognizing how she could make a difference in the world. She would have a hard time turning her back on her role, even if she insisted on being onboard only because of Dalton. Stevie had heard him call the peace deal with Iran "their legacy", though. He would no doubt back Elizabeth fully if she decided to want to inherit his office as well.

Stevie knew she was still on her own in entertaining such thoughts, but as she watched her mom breeze through trade agreements on national television, she surmised it was only a matter of time before the public joined her.

* * *

I'd love to hear your thoughts! :) This was the shortest of the bunch, but check back in a few days for the next part!


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, I'm back with the second part. Thank you for all the reviews and follows!

* * *

 _ **II**_

 _ **Stevie interrupts an interesting conversation between her parents**_

 _Post-s4_

* * *

It was much later than Stevie had anticipated when she hung up with Jareth. Her day had run long with Russell Jackson and upon coming home, she'd prioritized returning her boyfriend's call over dinner, which her stomach reminded her about at the moment. She was on her way tiptoeing to the kitchen, assuming the rest of her family to be out or asleep, when she spotted light from downstairs.

They were only some ten minutes into Saturday so it wasn't really that strange for her parents to be still awake. What made Stevie stop on the stairs was the pitch of her mother's voice. She couldn't fully make out what was being said but the hushed words were significantly different from the, well, giggling she would've expected to hear judging by her parents' rather playful behavior earlier that evening.

"I hear you, Henry, I do", Elizabeth's exclaim drifted from the dining room. "It's just…"

"Babe…"

Stevie should've veered back upstairs, forget about the sandwich, and let her parents have the conversation that was hardly meant for her ears, but the ambiguous exchange had peaked her interest, and so she crept closer. Something about the situation made her doubt her parents were talking about anything highly personal – or classified – which made her feel a little better, though it didn't manage to completely extinguish the guilt for eavesdropping.

"I'm just not ready to run yet. Even entertaining those thoughts is bad enough."

Having been just about to announce her presence, Stevie stopped dead on her tracks in the doorway at her mother's statement.

 _What?_

Her dad spotted her first. Surprise crossed his face before he managed to mask it, and he threw his wife a look that made Stevie instantly suspicious. "Hey, Stevie!"

She recovered quickly, plastering an oblivious smile on her face and faking a frown. "Everything okay, you guys?"

Her mom grabbed the ice cream off the kitchen counter (it left behind a wet circle, clearly having sat there for a while) and headed for the cutlery drawer. "Of course, baby. We didn't know you were still up."

"Yeah, I was on the phone with Jareth and got hungry", Stevie explained, accepting the spoon offered to her and scooping a mouthful of rocky road. "What aren't you going to run, mom?"

 _For_ what, she wanted to ask but held her tongue.

The fork in Elizabeth's hand paused briefly in midair before she popped it into her mouth, eyeing her daughter curiously. Stevie didn't call her out on the stalling technique even though it was obvious that was what she was doing. She was acting weird enough for Stevie to expect half-truths at best at that point.

"Nothing. DoD has been pushing for an interagency collaboration, but we'll do better without their input", Elizabeth said then, waving her hand dismissively.

Stevie took a step back, just in case, as her dad simultaneously took a step forward. "Babe", he chuckled, reaching to seize his wife's wrist and pry the fork out of her grasp. "Let's make sure you don't poke anyone's eyes out."

"Oh?" Her mom raised her brow, grinning sheepishly at her. "Sorry, sweetheart."

Stevie shook her head with a smile, moving towards the fridge to make herself the sandwich she'd come for. As soon as her back was turned, her parents' attention was back on each other. Stevie watched awkwardly as her dad used the confiscated fork to brush a lock of her mom's hair behind her shoulder. She responded by quickly spinning around, snatching the fork back, and proceeding to jab his forearm with the spiky end as he laughed.

Stevie gathered her plate, doubting her parents would take issue with her sneaking food to her room this time, and turned to leave, calling "good night" over her shoulder on the stairs. She closed the door to her room, food forgotten on the desk as she plopped down on her bed.

Her mom had a lousy poker face; Stevie still maintained there was no way Elizabeth had made it 20 years in the field as a CIA operative with such terrible acting skills. There had to be a catch Stevie didn't know about. Maybe her mom just sucked at lying to her family. Her dad was much better at it, as evidenced just then, helping her mom out by redirecting the conversation. They were clearly in on it together, whatever _it_ was.

As annoyed as she was at being lied to, and so obviously, Stevie couldn't help the grin tugging the corners of her mouth. She was pretty confident that the Defense Department had nothing to do with whatever her mom had admitted to thinking of running. And if her mom was already talking with her dad about it… Stevie wondered if Jason would still insist on wearing the opponent's shirt next election season.


	3. Chapter 3

No Stevie in this one 'cause I couldn't resist writing some Elizabeth/Nadine goodness, ugh I miss them :/ Hope you like this as well!

* * *

 _ **III**_

 _ **Nadine has a strange conversation with her boss**_

 _Post-s4_

* * *

"What's the biggest lie you've ever told?"

"Ma'am?"

The Secretary didn't repeat herself, which Nadine took as a sign she'd heard her boss correctly. Settling her frown on a professionally acceptable level of concern, she crossed her arms more tightly around the binder they'd just leafed through as she waited for the other woman to either continue her train of thought or dismiss her.

An uneasy look crossed the Secretary's face and she bit her lower lip before shaking her head. "Sorry, nothing."

Nadine pursed her lips, nodding in parting. She couldn't deny being curious about what had spurred the rather bizarre question, but she surely wouldn't pry. Nadine trusted the Secretary's judgment; she knew better than to withhold anything **,** no matter how personal or delicate, if it had potential to turn into an issue with the media. She hadn't asked because she'd wanted to bring something to Nadine's attention; she had wanted her to answer.

Resigning, Nadine mulled the question over in her head. In their line of work, lying, if not straight up then at least by omission, was practically written in the job description but she doubted that was what the Secretary had meant. Nadine tried to recall some of the fair share of lies she'd told in her private life. There were the lies that came to her so automatically it was slightly worrying, the ones that were enough to keep her up at night, and then there were the ones that hit a little too close to home. She had a pretty good idea which ones the Secretary had asked about.

Swallowing her hesitation, Nadine halted by the door and spun around. Despite the fact that the Secretary had brought it up herself, she was wary of encroaching on such a sensitive topic. Finding the other woman's waiting eyes, Nadine stood a little straighter, exhaling slowly.

"Roman doesn't know his father and I were never in love. He's made an assumption; I've never corrected him."

Stomping down the urge to let her eyes wander the office walls, Nadine held the Secretary's gaze firmly. Her nails bore into the sensitive skin on the inside of her upper arms as she held on to the binder, using it both as a barrier and a reminder to stand upright. She hated how her posture would probably read to a trained operative.

The Secretary's face was impassive. Nadine couldn't decide if she wanted to flee and pretend she never laid her private problems so completely bare to the nation's top diplomat, or if she wanted _Elizabeth_ to share her own so she wouldn't be the only one feeling like a failure, mostly as a mother but somewhat as a woman in general.

The Secretary opened and closed her mouth before offering Nadine a slow nod, and she remembered to breathe again, berating herself for momentarily losing confidence in the other woman's tact and kindness.

"Stevie heard a bit of my conversation with Henry last night. She asked me about something I couldn't explain." The Secretary gestured vaguely with her hand, a fleeting look of helplessness gracing her features before it was replaced with a frown. She started drumming her fingers against the desk. "I'm sure she knew instantly I was lying."

She chuckled dryly, shaking her head and continued, "I have to lie to my children all the time because of my work or Henry's, but I've never lied to them for my personal benefit. Never before I mean."

Emboldened by her boss's openness with the issue at hand, or simply wanting to help, Nadine decided to voice the question dancing on her tongue. "Why did you?"

There was a surprised silence as the Secretary halted her hand and snapped her head back up. Hoping to step back to the other side of the line she feared to just have crossed, Nadine rushed to elaborate. "You've been careful not to share the topic with me – as is your right, of course, ma'am. But if it wasn't in Stevie's or POTUS's interests, there was surely a good reason you felt the need to place yourself first."

For a moment the Secretary just stared at her in slight wonder but when Nadine blinked, she'd turned to gaze out the window.

Dropping her eyes as well, Nadine tried to ignore feeling as if there was cold water running down her neck. Murmuring a faint "excuse me", she beat a hasty retreat to her own office.

It was around lunchtime, after she'd taken her frustration and embarrassment out on several people who had had the misfortune of being important to her day's agenda, when Nadine felt clearheaded enough to let herself think back to the moment she'd been agonizing over. Focusing on the fact she'd managed to undo overstepping in the past, rather than the fact that really, she should've learned by now, she realized that in her alarm, she had overlooked the crooked smile the Secretary had swiftly erased from her face before looking away.

Thrown by the sudden realization, Nadine rewound the whole conversation in her head, trying to make sense of something that shouldn't make any sense. A thought occurred to her as to what Stevie might have stumbled upon, but she promptly buried it without even fully considering the possibility. She'd been presumptuous enough for the day; she needed to get back to work.


	4. Chapter 4

_**IV**_

 _ **Stevie eavesdrops on her mom and Russell Jackson**_

 _Post-s4_

* * *

Not many people could claim to have accidentally started eavesdropping on a conversation between the White House chief of staff and the Secretary of State, but to Stevie, that was exactly what had just happened.

She'd been supposed to be done for the day about an hour ago but her buss card had died on her, and so like every other teenager, she'd gone for her mom for a ride home. Ironically, Blake had referred her back to Russell Jackson's office, and the conversation topic inside had caught her interest and glued her to the door.

"Hypothetically…" her mother begun, and judging by the weight of that word alone, Stevie wasn't sure which of them was due for a heart attack, Russell or herself.

"If I were to run-"

" _Bess_ ", Russell interrupted, sounding out of breath.

There was a long silence, and Stevie frowned, panicking a little. Russell was as good at storming out of meetings as her mother was at making people do that. She should probably make herself scarce before either of them caught her. Adele had already left, and it was late enough that no one else should find her crouched on the chief of staff's outer office, practically ear flat against the door.

What a picture she painted. Why couldn't her mom just have made life easier and admitted it any of the nearly a dozen times she'd asked?

"Would you just let me finish, Russell. This is harder for me to say than it is for you to hear", Elizabeth insisted.

Stevie exhaled, smirking. The teasing tone that had returned to her mother's voice meant the pause in the conversation had been filled with Russell gesturing rapidly and her mom answering with a variety of facial expressions. For two people who were more or less professional communicators, they relied a lot on nonverbal means of speak.

"Please say it then already."

Russell's voice had an impatient edge to it, which Stevie understood well. She had to suppress the urge to squeal herself. Her mom was seriously considering running for president! Stevie imagined she had already decided, seeing as she was ready to consult Russell. She wouldn't throw him a bone if she weren't ready to go through with it. He wouldn't stop insisting, wouldn't let her back down.

Reluctant but certain, Stevie withdrew from the door before her mom could lay down her plan. She'd wait for her somewhere downstairs. It would have felt wrong to hear the announcement ahead of time, before her mom was ready to share it. Moreover, her mom would want her family's genuine reactions, and Stevie wanted to see those, too, even if there were no guarantees they would be entirely positive.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Stevie collapsed against the back wall of the elevator and let the blow drive the air out of her lungs. She hadn't been present to discuss her mom's abrupt career change the last time, and her own reaction had been significantly toned down by the fact that she'd heard the news over the phone. Besides, her roommate had been home. All exclamations had had to wait until the public announcement, after which Stevie had tried to keep an extensively low profile – to no avail.

If Elizabeth was planning on running for president, she would be catapulted into the limelight once again. Stevie couldn't say she was thrilled that their family would be under scrutiny, probably much more so than when her mom had first been appointed as Secretary of State. That had ultimately been Dalton's decision, and while the general public could disagree with it, they had no real influence. Next time around, they _would_ decide, and although her mom made it look relatively easy, winning the nation over would require a lot of work.

Stevie was glad her mom had turned to Russell Jackson for he certainly knew everything about the dark side of politics. She wasn't as oblivious as she let her mom pretend she was; she knew getting things done was hard, sometimes almost impossible if playing by the book. Too many people fought dirty. Russell was often advocating for the easy way, too, if he thought the situation required it. As much as she admired the man's work, Stevie hoped her mom could stay above petty or dishonest campaigning tricks. She was pretty sure she could, though; Stevie didn't really need to worry about that.

The real problem was how much mudslinging Elizabeth would face herself. She had ruffled a lot of chauvinistic feathers over the years, and while Stevie was almost spitefully proud of her for it, it had provided a reason for people to gun for her for barely political reasons from the beginning of her reign. It wasn't like Elizabeth couldn't take the hits; she had proved over and over again that she could hold her own. Stevie was just angry that she would have to.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much for all the follows, favs, and comments! It's so cool to hear I've made you excited about this plotline in canon!

I dedicate this chapter to the lovely pillar-of-salt since the conversation about the idea around this piece was what started this whole thing ;)

* * *

 _ **V**_

 _ **Stevie confronts Nadine**_

 _Post-s4_

* * *

Stevie had barely seen her mom in the past two weeks and she was pretty sure she was going to lose it soon. Russell had been working her to the ground by assigning her errand after errand, each more mundane than the last. Anything to keep her out of the office, it seemed. Stevie would've figured her late nights would've had her coming home _after_ her mom at least on a couple of occasions, but every night before heading for bed she was resigned to popping her mom's plate in the fridge.

It wasn't that unusual for Elizabeth to be in and out of the house; there were weeks Stevie saw Blake on the run to fetch clothes more often than she saw her mom. During those times, however, Henry stayed up late texting with his wife, and Elizabeth lingered in the mornings for as long as she was able to before getting a heated summon from Russell. Ali fretted over the smallest things, and Jace was almost constantly out with friends. Overall, the grumpy atmosphere at home got on Stevie's nerves, as much as she tried not to be affected.

Her parents weren't acting the part at the moment, though. Her dad didn't seem too bothered by the way her mom rushed out of the house in the mornings, neither did he check his phone every two minutes in the evenings. Stevie wasn't sure if her siblings had picked up on the abnormalities since they acted more or less as she'd expected, but the new routines were still driving her up the wall even faster than the old ones.

She'd promised herself she wouldn't corner her mom about the hypothetical conversation with Russell from weeks' back, but she needed confirmation, and since Russell made sure to continue being MIA, she'd sought out the next best person to try to pry information from.

She'd been mulling the topic over in her head and making herself silly with all the possibilities for ages, and she was technically on company time and short on patience, so it was quite understandable really, that in a moment of confidence, she'd foregone pleasantries and just blurted out her question.

"Is my mom planning on running?"

Unable to unsay it, Stevie tried not to fidget as Nadine stared at her, visibly taken aback the question. At any other time Stevie might have felt a flicker of triumph from managing to render her mom's chief of staff speechless, but now the silence that filled the office made her nervous.

Blinking slowly and closing the file she'd been reading, Nadine raised an eyebrow. "Running for what?"

Stevie couldn't help but smirk. There it was again. _For._ She'd known she couldn't have been the only one to have at least considered the possibility.

"For president", she elaborated, carefully watching Nadine's reaction.

The heavy pause her words had caused came to an abrupt end as Nadine darted towards the door. Stevie held her breath, readying herself for the upcoming outburst. She doubted Nadine would go as far as outright throwing her boss's daughter out, even if she had every right, but she could certainly coolly ask her to leave.

Stevie rejoiced as Nadine simply shut her office door. Instead of trying to dismiss her or the subject, the woman might actually answer her question. Nadine rested her palms against the glass briefly, sighing. Just as Stevie started wondering if she'd read the situation wrong, Nadine pushed herself off the door and turned around, meeting her eyes.

"I don't know. I think so."

Stevie followed Nadine with her gaze as the woman crossed the room and sat back down. "Hasn't she said anything?"

"Stevie…" Nadine started, running a hand through her hair. She clearly didn't want to share the details about her boss with the woman's daughter. Nevertheless, she continued with a resigned "No, she hasn't."

"So she's been acting shifty?" Stevie pressed, suggesting Russell wasn't the only one to suddenly have dozens of unexplained appointments. "She's the Secretary of State; that should be alarming unless you know where she is or who she's meeting with. Who are they, by the way?"

In lieu of answering, Nadine put her glasses on and shifted her focus to the papers on the table, effectively signaling the end of the conversation.

Stevie frowned at the action. She doubted the matter was _that_ top secret, and Nadine had been relatively forthcoming with her so far; she didn't understand why she wouldn't tell her. Unless… The woman simply didn't know.

"She's not looping you in", Stevie said slowly.

From the brief unmasked look on Nadine's face, she knew instantly that she'd been right - but that she'd also hit a nerve.

Deciding to back down, Stevie took a literal step back. "I'm sorry, I know you're uncomfortable talking to me about this. I was just… I want her to run", she stammered, and the confession gave her pause. Had she ever explicitly told her mom as much?

Nadine cocked her head slightly to the side but remained silent. Stevie could feel the weight of her stare but tried her best not to let it show how awkward she felt. She corrected her bag on her shoulder and turned to leave, head bowed in defeat. "Anyway, I should probably- I'll, I'll go."

"Stevie."

She whirled around at the sound of her name and met Nadine's eyes; the woman was looking at her with an expression that was equal amounts amused and reassuring. Nadine opened and closed her mouth quickly, as if unsure of how to word what she had meant to say. She glanced down, the corner of her lips tugging upwards in a memory Stevie wasn't privy to before opening her mouth again.

"Your mother has the greatest sense of civic duty I've seen all my life. And she's fearless", she shook her head with a silent chuckle. "Just wait. It's going to happen."

The conviction with which she spoke was enough to make Stevie want to share her smile.

* * *

AN: So, as we're nearing the end of this mini-series, I thought I should warn you all that I will not go into detail about Elizabeth's actual decision making or announcement etc. I feel like something that grand would require a story of its own, and frankly, that's not what I had in mind when I started writing these. Just thought to mention that now so no one will be too disappointed.


	6. Chapter 6

Brownie points for anyone who catches the dialogue reference ;)

* * *

 _ **VI**_

 _ **Stevie observes everyone as her mom makes an announcement**_

 _Post-s4_

* * *

Taking advantage of the fact that there were yet no cameras lurking, Stevie fixed the hemline of her skirt discreetly. She normally didn't let Alison have much say in the way she dressed aside from the odd suggestions, but even Jason had kept his complaints to a minimum that morning as his big sister had presented him with the right shirt to match his shoes. The day would be special so they all would have to look the part, she'd insisted.

Stevie hadn't dared pop Ali's bubble but having hands-on experience on politics, she knew nailing the whole day was practically impossible a feat. She'd settle for a couple of hours of everything going according to the plan they'd been perfecting for the better part of the past week.

Things looked pretty good so far. Like Stevie had assumed, the morning hadn't gone off without a hitch, but whatever the inconvenience Blake had stammered about had been (she hadn't caught it exactly, preoccupied with making sure Russell had had the up-to-date version of her mom's schedule), it had been minor enough for her mom to brush it off with a joke. "That's fine. I've never cared much for protocols", she had said, clapping her assistant on the shoulder and moving past him to Daisy who had been waiting with some last-minute instructions.

Glancing at her watch, Stevie told her dad to take her siblings and go find their places, relieved to find it was almost time for the rest of them to roll, too. The small room was buzzing with people and already uncomfortably warm even without the added sunlight flooding through the windows behind her back.

Her announcement drew the attention of her mom, who had been fiddling with her phone but pocketed it to give quick kisses to the non-governmental part of their family. After Henry, Alison and Jason had left, though, Elizabeth seemed to linger on her eldest daughter's side.

Stevie turned to look at her, guessing she wanted to talk about something since she was subtly but actively avoiding eye contact with everyone else, probably trying to avoid getting whisked away.

"Mom?" she prompted after a minute or so of silence.

"So, I just got a text from Mike B."

Her mom was grinning, Stevie supposed due to the man's atypical antics, but something disrupted the picture. She frowned internally, wondering what she was missing when Elizabeth continued in a rush.

"Blue is a modest color, right? At least it's less aggressive than black."

Embarrassingly aware of how appreciative her dad had been of her mom's dress, Stevie couldn't help the surprised look that crossed her face as she watched her mom smooth invisible wrinkles on her bodice. She was definitely nervous, and Stevie had a sudden urge to hug her. She settled for giving her mom's hand a squeeze, trying to mimic the reassuring tone her parents used when they were proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone. "You look great, mom." She lowered her voice, letting her smile morph into a grin, "Presidential."

Elizabeth beamed. "Thank you, baby."

"Ma'am", Nadine walked to them with Russell on her heels. Remindful of the fact she was probably interrupting, she waited for Elizabeth to acknowledge her before continuing, "POTUS is three minutes out."

Her mom thanked Nadine before turning to Russell, and Stevie chanced a smile at the woman. She returned it with less enthusiasm but there was an understanding glint in her eyes. They'd both seen this day coming a long time ago. It had felt like a test of endurance every so again, but Stevie was grateful she'd been patient.

She listened as Russell wished her mom good luck ("This could be great, Bess, so don't screw up.") but as her mom's staff flocked to their boss to give final words of encouragement, she got ushered to take her place with the other assistants before Dalton arrived.

She walked to the pressroom unnoticed and settled next to the other minor White House workers, in a way grateful she wouldn't come in with her mom and the President. The room was packed with anxious media representatives, but at the moment they were snapping pictures only in order to check their equipment. Stevie still hadn't grown accustomed to the press, and while she thought she had a valid reason for disliking them, it was something that she would have to overcome for her mom's campaign. That was a problem for another day, though. She didn't want to miss her mom's speech due to not being able to concentrate. She had caught her mom rehearsing the speech at home on a couple of occasions and was eager to hear the full version, so when the cameras started flashing as Dalton arrived with Elizabeth on his heels, Stevie tried to settle her nerves by watching the other people gathered in the room.

She had acted as a messenger between her mom's and Russell Jackson's offices, among other things in regard to the "guest list", as her mom had playfully called it, and so she figured it was as good a time as any to put her memory to the test. Stevie recognized several employees both from the State Department and the White House, and while she knew they were all there doing their job, she doubted they were _just_ doing their job. That much was evident from the looks on their faces.

There were some new acquaintances (Stevie spotted Kat Sandoval, a political analyst her mom had brought in for a consult some months ago and who had then sort of stuck around), and old friends (President Dalton, who had the biggest smile Stevie had ever seen on the man's face). Next to him stood Russell, who (more or less along with all of her mom's staff) had been one of the people who had had their doubts at first.

And then, of course, there were the people who had always believed in Elizabeth. As their mom took the podium, Stevie caught Jason's eyes. He shot her an uncharacteristically anxious look that she countered with an encouraging smile before they both shifted their attention back to their mom.

Even though the details of Elizabeth's speech had been kept a secret from all but the necessary parties, everyone in the room had known what had been coming. The press, however, hadn't. Stevie couldn't tell for sure but she wanted to believe she saw a couple of reporters genuinely cheer the announcement, and she smiled. No matter how they would spin it, they had an interesting story in their hands. She remembered a front-page news article from years ago. It had been titled " _From politics professor to a real-life policymaker"_ and been one of the few pieces that had refrained from personal preconceptions in debating the new Secretary of State's suitability to the job.

Stevie supposed the suspicions had essentially been justified back then; after all, her mom had never set out for a career in politics. Doing a cursory glance over the beaming crowd, Stevie surmised she had always been destined for a life.

* * *

Here you are! This was originally supposed to be the last piece, but I got inspired along the way and snuck in one more. So stay tuned for the "bonus" chapter in the next couple of days ;)


	7. Chapter 7

We've reached the end. *dramatic music*

Thank you all who've followed along with this story, I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing it!

* * *

 _ **VII**_

 _ **Nadine and Jay talk about Marsh's successor**_

 _Pre-s1_

* * *

The television in the corner of the bar Nadine found herself in was playing the same news piece on the loop. It had been a quiet day at the State Department, as if the rest of the world had agreed to give them time to gossip about Vincent Marsh's successor. Deputy Secretary Cushing had been promoted to Acting Secretary for the past weeks ( _she_ had been running the Department, not that there was anything unusual about that) but would step down soon.

Nadine had spent the day doing her best to keep everyone focused on their work, but after hours some of the staff had retreated to the bar nearby to chew over the woman whose name was on the nation's lips. Everyone else was talking about her, so they'd figured they might as well. Her name was Elizabeth McCord, and the word on the Hill was she had been Dalton's personal hire and on the top of a very short list.

Nadine, who had perused all of the candidates' resumes, was just as dumbfounded as the next person. Dalton had really gone to a horse farm in the middle of nowhere and fetched a college professor to replace Vincent. It was all levels of unfathomable and ridiculous. She preferred not to badmouth POTUS to the people she worked with, though, so she was glad no one seemed to mind her silence. Since half of their entourage probably still entertained the story where she used literal icicles as lipstick, it was just as well for her. She gladly kept her thoughts to herself, the topic of discussion still highly sensitive not to mention personal.

As the night progressed, everyone began to filter out slowly. Matt took Daisy home around ten. Nadine would've had to be blind not to have noticed whatever it was that was going on between them, but even if she had cared, it would've been too painful to think about. Instead, she focused on the swirl of the drop of scotch left in her glass and tried to reset her brain.

She had all but forgotten about Jay so when she finally looked up, she was startled to find he was waiting for her eyes. They were practically the only ones still around, others having headed home or to some place more suitable for lavish partying.

Jay gave her a tentative smile, his face unreadable, and Nadine hurried to gather herself. Motioning to her drink (she didn't dare think what else he could be referring to) he asked, "You good?"

She shook her head with a silent, dry chuckle. "Good" didn't exist in her vocabulary at the moment. The only way to navigate through the days was to limit her emotions to neutral, numb. She set her glass down and thanked Jay when he asked for refills for the both of them.

"Mind if I complain?"

Normally she would've but now she waved her hand, eager to have her train of thought interrupted. "Go ahead."

Jay nursed the new glass of brandy in his hands. "I hope it's been… long enough that I can say this without sounding..." he trailed off, gesturing halfheartedly. Nadine fought to keep herself from visibly cringing at the indication.

"But about this McCord", Jay continued. "Matt and Daisy don't understand, but I think you do."

Nadine arched her brow.

"She's academic", he explained. "How is she going to handle Washington?"

"She _was_ in the CIA", Nadine commented, not arguing against Jay rather than stating a fact she'd wondered about for the last couple of days. "As was Dalton."

"Yeah, but she quit to be with her family. She's soft."

His choice of words had Nadine shooting him a questioning look that she didn't think was particularly sharp but enough to have him faltering anyway.

"It's not about her being a woman", Jay said hastily. "I meant she's ill-suited because she's not nearly ambitious enough. She'll never manage to build a career in politics."

"You mean she won't try to climb the ladder", Nadine remarked, tapping her index finger against her glass for emphasis. Jay had made his passion for moving up quite clear in the past year.

"I can kiss the White House goodbye", he exclaimed bitterly and a little louder than necessary. He sighed. "Is it too late to abandon ship?"

Nadine lifted her drink to her lips to hide the wry smirk. Oh, their ship was going to sink soon. She was prepared to go down with it; figuring what the hell. She'd be moving on from State Department soon. She wouldn't have that much trouble finding a new job, not with her record.

Jay got up to leave. "That wasn't an official resignation, by the way. She's going to fire all of us anyway, but Abby would have me sleeping on the couch for months if I quit ahead of time."

Nadine toasted his exit and downed the remains of her scotch. She should head home too; she had to go to work the next day. They had about two weeks until Elizabeth McCord would waltz in, sit into Vincent's chair, and start her first day as Secretary of State.

Nadine sighed, standing up and turning her back to the television screen as she struggled with her coat. It was funny – in a humorless, ironic way – how much she'd had to fight during the last decades to have a tangible effect when that one little screw in Vincent's plane had managed to screw up so many lives in a matter of seconds. She'd been perfectly happy two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, Elizabeth McCord had been grading essays and riding horses; in two weeks, she'd seize the reigns of the US foreign politics. She'd take over for Cushing, along with their agenda, Vincent's legacy, and Nadine's department.

Jay was right; they would all be out of a job before long. Nadine didn't have it in her to care. She didn't have much interest in the State Department anymore, not if it was going to be run by a pretty, blonde idealist. The office had belonged to Vincent, and so would have the Oval office, too. He'd earned it. She had made sure every one of his objectives had been carried through. Nadine could even recognize Jay having worked hard enough for his right to follow Vincent to the White House when the time would've come.

Elizabeth McCord was a different story altogether. Dalton had casually offered her the State Department, effectively handing her the chance of becoming the most influential woman in the world in the process. Not that she'd amount to that but, still… Nadine knew a lot of people, who would've killed for the opportunity that had landed into Elizabeth's McCord lap, and she couldn't stop wondering if the woman knew that, or if she cared for that matter. She'd never _worked_ for it, or _asked_ for it, or _wanted_ it, for Christ's sake. She would never make a difference.

* * *

That's all for now - hopefully we'll get many good moments from this storyline in season 5, even if they're not the ones I've written ;)


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